BSS, Rajshahi :
Time has come to building the nation as self-dependent through overcoming the existing dependence on foreign aid and all of us work together to this end, speakers at a discussion here said Sunday.
They viewed there are enormous resources and potentialities like sustainable agriculture and manpower to make the nation self-dependence and only political commitment and collective efforts are needed to transform the dream into realistic.
The observations came at a pre-budget view sharing meeting styled “National Planning and Budget related Parliamentary Caucus” held at the conference hall of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
Democratic Budget Movement (DBM) organized the discussion in association with the caucus.
With Fazley Hossain Badsha, MP, Vice-president of National Planning and Budget related Parliamentary Caucus, in the chair, Abdul Wadud Dara, MP, Abul Kalam Azad, MP, and Ayen Uddin, MP, spoke on the occasion.
RCCI President Muniruzzaman, local unit DBM Member secretary Foyzullah Chowdhury, Secretary Akbarul Hassan Millat, former chairman of Rajshahi Education Board Prof Nural Alam and principal of Rajshahi Court Degree College Prof Shafiqur Rahman also spoke.
During his keynote presentation, Prof ANK Noman, from Department of Economics of Rajshahi University, narrated the thinking issues on regional budget.
Lawmaker Badsha said national planning and budget is very important in terms of policy making issue for overall development of the country and effective and active participation of poor and marginalized people and their elected lawmakers and public representatives is indispensable to the process.
He emphasized the for giving top priority to the region’s agriculture and agri- processing, education, health, food security and poverty alleviation in the forthcoming national budget of fiscal 2015-16. He viewed that enhanced priority and subsidy to the sector of agriculture along with its subsectors and income generation could be the effective means of boosting its field level outputs leading to food security.
Taking part in the open discussion, the participants mentioned that the budget should be pro-people and welfare-oriented so that it could bring economic emancipation of the people in general.
